1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing plastic parts formed of thermoplastics, duroplastics and/or elastomers by the injection molding or reaction injection molding technique. The apparatus has one or a plurality of locking units of the horizontal or vertical design for receiving one or a plurality of molds arranged on one plane, and an associated injection unit for successively injecting the molds, in which each half of a mold is arranged on a mold-clamping plate with one of said plates being movably arranged in each case.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices are known in which several locking units are associated with the injection unit which is displaceable on one plane, or in which the injection unit is arranged stationary and the locking units are displaceable on one plane.
The molding of the molded parts requires cooling periods as a result of the nature of the molding process. Therefore, also multi-station devices are used in the manufacture of large series. Such multi-station devices are suitable for producing plastic parts with small or medium dimensions, but less suitable for the manufacture of larger parts. The use of mobile production plants for the manufacture of large molded parts is uneconomical. For producing one single large molded parts in large numbers, several individual devices are required, which require extensive equipment, much setup space and much energy.
With the devices of the known type, the full mold-clamping or mold-closing forces are required for injecting each individual mold of the molds disposed on one plane, i.e., the full forces rated for the technique. This means that high energy-intensive mold-clamping forces may be required depending on whether the high-pressure or low-pressure technique is employed.